Investigative journalist Lyra McKee was killed in 2019.
The life of investigative journalist Lyra McKee will be explored in a new film for Channel 4.
Lyra, produced by BAFTA award winning documentarian Alison Millar, chronicles Lyra’s life in 90s Belfast as she herself narrates thanks to salvaged voice recordings and interviews from her Dictaphone.
Lyra was shot dead in 2019 by Irish Dissident Republicans as she observed a riot in Derry. The killing, for which the New IRA claimed responsibility, sparked outrage and condemnation across the world, including from US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Millar, who was a close friend of Lyra, hopes that the film “reflects life in today in contemporary Northern Ireland.”
“Lyra’s death was, to many, a sharp puncture to the future of a country trying to move beyond its past. I hope this documentary will introduce a new audience to Lyra and her work. The film is an urgent story that reflects life today in contemporary Northern Ireland as we approach the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Peace Agreement. Lyra’s story and work represents her generation and reminds us why we cannot allow the dark shadows of the past to return.” – Alison Millar
Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4, Louise Compton, says that the corporation is “proud” to be highlighting the life of a “… a queer hero and a trailblazer.”
Lyra is produced by Erica Starling Productions for Channel 4 in association with TG4, HiddenLight Productions and Northern Ireland Screen.
It will screen at Sheffield Documentary Festival 2022 Sunday 26th June at 6.15pm and Monday 27th at 1pm. It will air on Channel 4 in 2023.
